The Bargain
by Miara
Summary: Inuyasha is dead, the Shikon in Naraku's hands. What will Kagome do?
1. Prologue

The Bargain  
  
Kagome sat huddled on the edge of the Bone-Eater's well, reflexively trying to protect herself from the cold wind that was trying to push her to the ground. In her hands, she clutched the Tetsusaiga's scabbard. In the silence of her heart, she prayed.  
  
From where he stood hovering at the edge of the treeline, Sesshomaru could see his brother's human wench. He wondered idly why she hadn't worn something warmer, something that would protect her more than the skimpy outfit that was all he had ever seen her wear. Not that it mattered, really. Soon he would have what he wanted, and this human would be of no more concern to him. And with Tetsusaiga in his hands, he, Sesshomaru, would have fulfilled his last obligation to his noble father. He stepped into the clearing, ignoring the wind that clutched at his white kimono, making it snap.  
  
The sound startled her, and Kagome jumped, looking around frantically. A flash of white caught her eye, and she froze. She had been waiting for him, but now that he was here she wanted nothing more than to jump into the well and flee this cursed time. This was the man, no the *demon*, who had taunted and tested Inuyasha to his limit, and here she sat, waiting to give him Inuyasha's only legacy. But there was no other way, was there?  
  
Sesshomaru slowly made his way across the clearing until finally he stood before her, staring impassively down into her face.  
  
"Where is the sword?" he asked, having seen that the scabbard was empty before he had even entered the clearing.  
  
"It's hidden," Kagome replied, her first move in this negotiation that was to be.  
  
"It is mine now. Bring it to me." His countermove, entirely predictable.  
  
Her fingers clenched on the scabbard. "No." She looked up, and knew that he would be able to see that her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. "He gave it to me. It's mine."   
  
Sesshomaru's face showed no emotion, but he had expected this. The woman knew how he valued the sword, and no human would pass up the chance to make a profit, even from the death of someone they claimed to love. He could torture her, he supposed, but it seemed like a wast of effort. He had fought this wench often enough to know that she was obstinate. It pained him to do it, but he asked the question anyway.  
  
"What do you want?" What would it be, he wondered. Gold? Jewels? Were there enough jewels in the world to purchase such a weapon?  
  
Kagome remained silent for several moments, studying the creature facing her. She wondered what he was thinking. He had always been impossible to read. Even when he and Inuyasha had fought Sesshomaru had displayed a detachment that had frightened her. How would he react? Would he accept?  
  
"Naraku has all but one piece of the Shikon." She told him. It sounded like a non sequitur, but they both knew it wasn't. Inuyasha had died on their quest to prevent it. Well, in a way he had. Naraku had killed him, at least, even if it hadn't been over the gem.  
  
Sesshoumaru didn't respond, waiting instead for her to continue.  
  
"I need to find it. I was the one who broke it. I need to make things right again." That was the heart of the matter, she thought. For years she had been coming to the Sengoku-jidai, destroying her life in her time to make right what she had done. But if it had been impossible with Inuyasha, how much more so would it be now?  
  
From her scent Sesshomaru could tell that she was speaking the truth, and that shook his control enough that his surprise showed in his eyes. A human with a sense of duty? How very unusual. She truly wished to repair the damage done three years ago when her arrow had shattered the stone. And all these years he had thought that it was her love for Inuyasha that kept her in a world that was so obviously not her own.  
  
"What do you want?" He repeated. He wanted to hear her say it.  
  
"Help me find the stone and stop Naraku."  
  
Sesshoumaru found that it wasn't as hard as he expected to find his answer. The Tetsusaiga. And although he would never admit it, vengeance for his brother.   
  
He nodded. "Very well."  
  
Their bargain was struck.  
  
***   
  
Notes: Well, is it worth continuing? 


	2. Arrangements

Disclaimer - Characters and setting not mine. Plot and any original characters mine.  
  
//(--ch).insertDisclaimer(Reason.I_FORGOT);  
  
Spoilers or maybe not - I'll be referring to events up to and including book 18 of the Japanese version of the manga, although not necessarily in this chapter. I haven't seen the anime, so I have no idea how much that overlaps.  
  
The Bargain - Ch 1  
  
Kagome tuned her brother out as he chattered excitedly about her upcoming trip, trying to concentrate on her packing. After three years of watching his sister vanish off into the past Sota had become convinced that she was having a grand adventure, and had been bitterly disappointed to discover that he was unable trigger whatever force allowed Kagome access to the Sengoku Jidai. She smiled slightly and shook her head as she remembered the time she had jumped into the well only to land on him. The well hadn't opened at all that time, and Sota had received a truly remarkable set of bruises from the impact.   
  
She added the last of her medical supplies to the backpack and tightened the fastenings. She shook it a couple of times to make sure that nothing would fall out. Nothing like getting a nasty cut on your leg and discovering that there was no antiseptic to be found for several hundred years to teach you to make sure things were properly tied down. She slung the pack over her shoulder and picked up Tetsusaiga.  
  
"You're leaving already?" her mother asked from the door to her bedroom. She had come up a few minutes ago and had been watching her oldest child pack, trying to repress the sorrow she felt growing inside her. This was not what she had wanted for her daughter, this seemingly endless quest that threatened to cost her daughter everything. Every time Kagome jumped into the well, Mrs. Higurashi felt her heart rend a little more.  
  
Over the last few years, her mother had watched Kagome mature, seen her return from the past heartbroken, shattered, full of the pain of what she had seen and experienced. She knew that her daughter had friends there, friends she loved dearly and for that she was grateful, but Kagome also had enemies in the past, enemies she knew from Kagome's recent grief were deadly. Every time Kagome left she wondered if her daughter would return. And if she did, what would she have to look forward to? Kagome was barely managing to keep up in school now, and her chance of going to a good university seemed so slim as to be non-existent. What would her daughter do? What kind of life would she have?  
  
"Yes. I promised I'd be back by tonight." Kagome went to her mother and wrapped her in her arms. "I love you, mom. Always. And with a bit of luck, this will be the last trip." Her mother hugged her back, and for several moments they simply stood there, enjoying each other's closeness.  
  
Sota pouted a bit on hearing that this might be the last adventure, then trailed down the stairs after the women as Kagome and her mother walked out to the old wellhouse. Who knew where grandfather was. He was probably off puttering with some of the scrolls Kagome had returned with on her last trip. As they entered the small shed, Kagome looked around, marveling at how nothing appeared to have changed over all the years of her voyaging.  
  
"How long will you be gone this time?" her mother asked. It was a practical question as well as a loving one. After all, there was the matter of coming up with a suitable cover story.  
  
"I don't know. I don't know how Sesshomaru will want to handle things or how long it will take." She hugged her mother and brother again. "Bye." She turned away from them and jumped into the well.  
  
Although the future hadn't changed the past certainly had, she thought as she clambered out of the well, hampered by the sword in her hand. The well itself, for one thing. The enclosure still bore the damage that Inuyasha had inflicted in his long ago attempt to barricade her into the future. There was no impatient half-demon waiting to drag her off on the next leg of their seemingly never-ending quest. No small fox demon throwing himself into her arms. Instead there was only a full dog demon waiting for her to bring him a weapon he had been coveting since before they first met.  
  
As she watched Sesshomaru leave the forest and stride towards her, she wondered again what had inspired her to come up with this plan. It should never have crossed her mind to try to make Sesshomaru an ally. She was still surprised that he had accepted the bargain. How many times had Inuyasha's brother tried to kill them? How often had Inuyasha sworn he would never allow Sesshomaru to possess Testsusaiga? But what other choice had she had? With Inuyasha dead - her mind still shied away from that memory - and the Shikon no Tama in Naraku's hands, she needed a powerful ally to help her retrieve the Jewel. While they were more than capable of standing against humans, or the majority of the demons they encountered, Miroku and Sango just weren't up to the task of destroying the thing that Naraku had become. Even Inuyasha had failed at that. No, this was the best choice, the only way she could envision any of them surviving.  
  
Sesshomaru came to a stop in front of the human woman. Kagome. He supposed that if they were to travel together on this quest of hers, he should remember to use her name. He looked her over, noting with satisfaction that she had changed out of her absurd outfit and into something warmer and more concealing. At least he wouldn't be forced to worry about her becoming ill from exposure to the chill autumn weather as they traveled.   
  
But first things first. His eyes focused on the sword in her hands.  
  
He was opening his mouth to speak when a crackling voice interrupted. "Well, wench, hand it over." His reptilian retainer Jaken could always be counted on to interrupt an important moment with his rudeness, Sesshomaru thought with an inward sigh. As he reached out, he saw Kagome's fingers tighten around the scabbard.  
  
"Do you doubt my word?" Sesshomaru was offended by the thought; how dare this mere human question his honor?  
  
"No." Kagome shook her head quickly, sensing the anger behind the mask and deciding that appeasement was essential. "It's just..." her voice trailed off. "I was just remembering." Pushing all thoughts of disloyalty away, she held the sword out balanced crosswise on her palms. "Your sword, Lord Sesshomaru." The formality seemed appropriate for this moment.  
  
"I thank you." He lifted the scabbard from her hands; her fingers caressed the the polished wood as the weight was removed. A stab of pleasure shot though him. Finally, after all these years Tetsusaiga was his! Quickly he drew the sword and examined its well used blade.  
  
"Do you doubt *my* word?" There was a touch of acid in Kagome's voice as she turned his question back at him, and Sesshomaru found himself amused at the woman's temerity.  
  
"No. I merely wished to see how much damage my brother did to the sword." Satisfied with the condition of the metal and the sharpness of the edge Sesshomaru resheathed the blade and thrust the scabbard through his sash, settling it comfortably under his hand. He noticed that Kagome bridled visibly at the insult to Inuyasha, but she refrained from responding. "Shall we discuss our next step?" he asked.  
  
She opened her mouth to propose that they head to the village, but was interrupted by Jaken.  
  
"What next step?" The tone of his question was querulous. "You have the sword, Lord Sesshomaru. Destroy the human and let us depart."  
  
"Silence, Jaken." The short demon cowered. "I, Sesshomaru, do not break my given word." Kagome felt a surge of relief as she realized that she had been right. Sesshomaru, for all his attempts to kill his own brother, was honorable in his own way.  
  
"We need to go back to the village," Kagome told them. "There's something we have to get." She hitched her backpack higher onto her shoulders and turned to lead the way.  
  
"Aacckk!!" That was Jaken again, sounding like the toad he resembled as he flung himself into her path to stop her. "How dare you walk before the great Lord Sesshomaru, mortal?"  
  
Kagome froze and looked down to stare at the short demon with complete incredulity. "Ummm... what?!?"  
  
"Let it lie, Jaken." Sesshomaru's tone promised death to the disobedient, and Jaken fell silent. Kagome was confused when instead of following the path that led to the village, Sesshomaru strode towards the spot where he had entered the field, his long legs making quick progress over the dead brown grass. "Before we begin there is someone you must meet."  
  
Kagome hurried to follow the dog demon, hearing Jaken grumbling to himself about the rudeness of disgusting humans behind her. She grimaced. She could tell already that traveling with the toad creature would be unpleasant.  
  
Sesshomaru stopped just inside the treeline. "Rin," he called, "you may come out now."   
  
Kagome was shocked to see a young girl of no more than seven or eight throw herself out of the trees to hug Sesshomaru around the legs. He seemed to expect this and rested one hand protectively on the girl's head. "Who...?" Kagome managed to ask.  
  
"This is Rin." Sesshomaru glared at Kagome, defying her to comment about the presence of the human child. He had come to terms with his affection for the little girl, but he would not discuss either his feelings or Rin herself with anyone. "She will be traveling with us."  
  
Her eyes on the young girl, Kagome failed to notice his glare. She knelt down to place her face at Rin's level and smiled at the girl. "Hello Rin. My name is Kagome. How are you?"   
  
Rin looked anxiously up at Sesshomaru, and he nodded at her. This seemed to be a signal; the girl released his legs and turned to bow to Kagome. "Good," she whispered and gave Kagome a shy smile.   
  
"How old is she?" Kagome asked, looking up at Sesshomaru for the first time. She wondered how someone who claimed to hate humans as much as he did could be traveling with a human child, and a girl at that. Her questions showed in her eyes, making Sesshomaru's response more abrupt than he had intended.   
  
"Seven, I believe. We are done here." He turned and headed towards the path that would take them to Kaede's village, Rin trotting obediently at his heels. Kagome followed after them, wondering what he meant when he said 'I believe'. How had Rin come to travel with Sesshomaru?  
  
As they followed the well trodden track to the village, Rin skipped up alongside Kagome. "Are you my friend?" she asked, her voice curious.   
  
Kagome was puzzled by the question, but nodded. "Of course." She was rewarded by a happy smile, and Rin began to chatter at her as though she had been storing it up for years. Looking ahead to where Sesshomaru led the way, Kagome wondered if that was the case.  
  
The walk was short and livened only briefly by Rin finding a flower that she insisted on giving to Kagome for her hair. When they finally reached the village they found it deserted. Kagome was looking around frantically, trying to find someone or something that would tell her what had happened, when a small red-brown blur appeared from a nearby doorway and threw itself towards her.  
  
Sesshomaru was already moving to stand in front of her when Kagome recognized the blur. She cried out in relief and ran forward to catch it in her arms. "Shippo!"  
  
"Kagome! You're back!" Shippo attached himself to her neck, burrowing against her. Kagome stroked his back soothingly, noticing that the boy was shaking as he pressed himself closer to her.   
  
"What is it, Shippo? Whatever it is, it'll be OK," she tried to comfort the young fox demon. Shippo had taken Inuyasha's death very badly, and became frantic whenever any of the others were out of his sight for any length of time. If something had happened to the others, she wasn't sure if he would be able to cope with it.  
  
"I was afraid you weren't coming back," he told her, wiping tears from his cheek. She felt a pang in her heart for the young boy. Not yet an adult, and already he had lost three of the most important people in his life. But in a strange way his greeting reassured her about her decision to bring Sesshomaru into the fight. Shippo didn't deserve to lose anyone else, and if anyone could stand against Naraku, the Lord of Western Lands could.  
  
"I'm here now," she told him gently. "I promised I would come back."  
  
"I know. But so did Inuyasha, and he died." The shaking had stopped, Shippo was pulling himself together.   
  
"But I didn't, and I'm here," she repeated. She looked around. "Where is everybody?" she asked. Shippo would have told her by now if something drastic had happened, so where were all the villagers? At this time of the evening everyone should be in the central square relaxing after a hard day's work. Well all the men at least, the women would be indoors preparing the evening meal.  
  
A glint of his old mischief flickered through Shippo's eyes, and Kagome smiled to see it. "They're hiding," he told her. "They're afraid of him." No need to ask who him was, Kagome thought, looking over to where Sesshomaru stood watching their reunion.   
  
Sesshomaru watched as Kagome greeted the young fox demon. For the first time, he consciously realized how unusual the young human woman was. For years, he had simply seen her as one of the people who kept him from acquiring the Tetsusaiga. Probably the most important one, he admitted to himself, since on more than one occasion the young priestess' powers had rescued Inuyasha from certain death at his older brother's hands.  
  
But now that he was no longer seeing her through the eyes of an opponent he realized that she wasn't anything like he expected human women to be. He had known she was unusual, true. Her odd clothing and mannerisms had signaled that clearly, but the differences went deeper than that.  
  
Humans, in his experience, looked at demons in very few ways. The vast majority of humans feared them. Even the weakest and least threatening of their kind were driven away from human habitation or destroyed. Some humans worked as exterminators, seeing demons only as prey to be exterminated at all costs. And a very few, very rare humans bargained with demons for money, life, or power. He wondered how it was that Kagome had come to see Inuyasha and the kit as friends. For a fleeting and quickly suppressed moment, he wondered how she saw him.  
  
He was recalled from his musing when Kagome turned, still holding Shippo. "We need to go see Kaede," she informed him, gesturing awkwardly toward the largest hut in the village. He wondered if it was a concession to Jaken's earlier fit about her walking ahead of him.   
  
He walked to the hut and entered without signaling. A moment later he wished he had not. There were three humans already in the small space and the scent of their bodies combined with the wood smoke from the oldest woman's - Kaede he assumed - cooking fire and the scent of the food to assault his sense of smell, freezing him where he stood. The three humans in turn froze as he entered, not relaxing until they saw Kagome follow him in.  
  
Kagome took in the scene with a single glance, then looked more closely at Sesshomaru.  
  
"Are you all right, Sesshomaru?" she asked with some concern. His eyes were glazed in a way that seemed oddly familiar. Now where had she seen ... She suppressed a smile when she realized that it was the same look Inuyasha used to get when confronted with an overpowering stench.  
  
"Yes," he lied. He wondered how long they would be in this accursed building. He wondered if he could simply leave and not return. Or at least wait outside. He wondered if he had lost his mind, which would explain why he had joined this ridiculous quest that had brought him here.  
  
"Why don't we get everyone moved around so we can sit while we talk?" she suggested. There was a murmur of assent, and a shuffling of bodies as Miroku, Sango and Kaede stood so as to give the newcomers some space. With a bit of maneuvering, Kagome managed to make sure that Sesshomaru was seated nearest the door, in a spot that might give him a bit of a breeze and some relief from the odors that were obviously bothering him. Jaken chose to remain outside, away from the smells of humans, so Sesshomaru ordered Rin to stay with him.  
  
Kagome found herself next to Miroku, who leaned over to murmur to her as they reseated themselves. "Are you certain this is a good idea?" he asked.   
  
"Yes!" Kagome huffed in frustration. They had had this discussion numerous times over the last several weeks, and by now the questions and responses were routine. Miroku was very leery of her plan and wanted to tackle Naraku alone, without the added danger of a powerful, unpredictable demon who had tried more than once to kill them. Kagome had seen what Naraku had done to Inuyasha, and knew that attacking him without a strong fighter was suicidal.   
  
"Do you have any plans for finding Naraku?" Sesshomaru asked as soon as they were seated, his impatience with the slow rituals of greeting finally breaking through his customary restraint. "Do you know where he is, or must I locate him for you as well?"  
  
"We don't need to find him," Kagome told him as she opened the small pouch that Sango had slipped to her during their greeting. "He'll come after us." She dumped the contents of the pouch into her palm, revealing a single, small, glittering shard of crystal. She smiled happily. "We have the last piece of the Shikon."  
  
"Indeed." The shadow of a smile crossed Sesshomaru's face. This was going to be less effort than he had expected. "That does make things easier. Do you have any plans for when he comes after it?"   
  
"We kill him." That was the other young human female, a demon hunter if Sesshomaru interpreted her clothing correctly. Her voice and eyes were full of hatred, and he could see worry on the faces of Kagome and the monk as they watched her. He wondered if she would be a problem when it came time for him and Kagome to leave.  
  
"Other than that?" he asked when the others remained silent. Did they honestly expect to be able to defeat Naraku without a plan. For that matter, had they actually managed to make it this far against him without having *had* one? He caught himself a breath away from shaking his head in disgust, although he wasn't sure if it was directed at these humans or the many demons who had been unable to destroy them.  
  
Kagome shook her head as she returned the shard to the pouch and looped the cord around her neck. "Not really. We're usually the ones being ambushed, not the ones setting traps. We're pretty good at violence and flight, but we're a little light on the tactics part." Although it wasn't by any means the main reason she had wanted to enlist Sesshomaru on their side, she suspected that he had planned more battles than the rest of them combined, and she knew a good plan would go a long way in helping to win this fight. "I'm willing to go with whatever you think is best."  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if she truly thought she had a choice in the matter. He decided it was irrelevant; she would obey, and that was the important thing.  
  
The next hour passed quickly. Kagome and her friends ate while Sesshomaru asked numerous questions about their encounters with Naraku and his minions. He wanted to know what they were capable of, what kind of traps they tended to set, how they reacted when things went wrong. What Naraku wanted, and what he feared.  
  
They seemed eager to provide him with what information they had, with the exception of Kagome, who refused to discuss her most relevant encounter with Naraku, the one that resulted in Inuyasha's death. Sesshomaru considered simply insisting that she answer his questions, but decided to wait. Kagome had demonstrated that she would protect her friends no matter the cost, and perhaps this was simply another facet of that protectiveness. He would demand she tell him the story later, once they were away from the other humans. Kaede contributed what she knew about the powers of the Shikon. Finally he was satisfied, and he drifted off into silent planning while Kagome and her friends took the chance to catch up on the events of the past few days.   
  
The meal was finally finished, and with a sense of relief Sesshomaru stood and looked over at Kagome.  
  
"We shall depart now. I would prefer that we meet Naraku somewhere more defensible than this human village." He looked around scornfully. "And somewhere we have capable allies." Before she could complain about having to travel at night, he headed her off. "The moon is full and we should be able to travel for some hours yet."  
  
He was gratified when Kagome got to her feet and lifted her bag over her shoulders without arguing. His pleasure turned to dismay when her friends followed her to their feet.   
  
"Your friends were not part of the bargain. I do not wish to be obliged to suffer their presence." Sesshoumaru was very definite about that, even though he could tell from the stubborn look appearing in Kagome's eyes that he was going to lose this particular battle of wills. Even so, she managed to surprise him with how.  
  
"Were you planning on carrying me?" Kagome asked. She had no intention of allowing him to leave her friends behind, however much she knew they would be safer if she did so.  
  
"Of course not!" He was appalled by the thought.  
  
"Then why are you complaining? They can ride Kirara so they won't slow us down, and they deserve their chance at Naraku too. Maybe more than you or I. And they do count as capable allies." There was a gleam in her eyes as she parroted his words back at him, and Sesshomaru had to concede that she had a point. The monk, at least, had been an asset to Inuyasha in their battles over the Tetsusaiga. And presumably the demon hunter was somewhat proficient as well, given that she had managed to survive traveling with them for so many years. Although the hatred she had demonstrated earlier might be a problem. Hatred usually blinded one to reason, and this battle would only be won if it was fought with clear heads.  
  
Pushing that concern away to be dealt with later, Sesshomaru gave in. Perhaps Kagome was right. And if the other humans came along, they would keep her occupied and away from him. Perhaps it would be good for Rin as well, to spend time with humans. But his generosity would only extend so far.  
  
"I will permit them to travel with us if they wish, so long as they do not slow us down. But our bargain covers only you." He wanted that clear. He would protect Kagome, that was their bargain, and help her win her war, but he, Sesshomaru, would not be exerting himself on the part of any other humans.   
  
"Good enough." The words came from Kagome, but the others were nodding their acceptance of his terms.  
  
Kagome could hear Jaken grumbling about disgusting humans again. I was wrong earlier, she thought to herself. Unless he finds a new topic, this is going to be so much more than unpleasant.  
  
----  
  
Notes: The characters are in place. Now let's watch them dance. This is the first time I've written fiction, so I apologize for it being a bit rough. 


	3. Memories

Disclaimer - Characters not mine. I wouldn't be posting here if they were.  
  
The Bargain - Ch 2  
  
The next night found them settled in a small clearing. They had passed a small hut used to shelter farmers as they watched over their crops an hour or so earlier, and Miroku had proposed that they rest there for the night but Sesshomaru had overridden him, insisting that they push on. It was only when the humans began stumbling and tripping in the darkness that he reluctantly agreed to make camp. Or what passed for a camp with neither a fire, which Sesshomaru had forbidden them to light, nor their tents, as they had been too tired to do more than eat a few cold rations and set out their bedrolls.  
  
After the scant meal Kagome chose to stay up while the others sought some badly needed rest. She knew that Sesshomaru needed to hear the story of their last encounter with Naraku, but retelling it wasn't something she had felt able to do with Shippo listening. Now, with Shippo sleeping the sleep of the exhausted, unlikely to wake and overhear, she could do what needed to be done. She settled herself against a tree, dragging her blanket closer, trying to block out the chill of her memories.  
  
"I sensed a Shikon shard near Kamakura. We were looking for it when we ran across a small village." Sesshomaru didn't react, continuing to scan the darkness for any hint of danger, but she knew she had his attention.  
  
"We were asking the villagers for information about local monsters. I could tell the shard was nearby, but couldn't tell what direction it was in for some reason."  
  
_Miroku had been attempting to charm the village headman's daughter when a loud roaring accompanied by numerous screams had filled the air. Kagome and Inuyasha had run towards the chaotic sounds to see an immense dragon destroying a Shinto shrine, obviously searching for something. As they drew closer, they could hear him hissing.  
_  
"A dragon attacked the village while we were there."  
  
_"The girl, the girl, give me the girl," the monster was demanding as he pulled the walls down and the floor up. A terrified priest stood his ground, chanting a spell of protection, only to be crushed when the dragon turned it's attention to him. "Where is the girl?" the dragon roared, turning away from the bloody mess to look for new prey.  
_  
"He was looking for a girl. We found out later she had been a priestess at the local shrine, but she died a week before we got to the village."  
  
_The dragon's head turned towards Kagome, and for a second she saw the glow of a Shikon shard on his forehead as he leapt at her.  
  
"A priestess!" he exulted as he closed on her, only to be blocked from his goal by a red and white blur.  
  
"Give it up, bastard." That was Inuyasha all right, protective and foul mouthed, all in one violent package. He drew Tetsusaiga, the sword transforming as he swung at the demon, unleashing the Cutting Wind.  
  
"Inuyasha, he has a shard on his forehead," Kagome yelled as the dragon dodged the blow and debris flew around them. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and quickly drew her bow, aiming at the dragon when Inuyasha closed with it, striking with the Tetsusaiga.  
_  
"He had a shard on his forehead. He tried to attack me, but Inuyasha got in the way and went after him. He tried to use the Cutting Wind, but it just bounced off the dragon's scales."  
  
_The fang's first blow landed but did no damage, merely glancing off the dragon's sturdy scales. The dragon drew back a paw and swung it at the half-demon, batting him across the clearing. Her line of fire was clear, and Kagome loosed the arrow. It was enveloped in blue light as it sped toward her prey. There was a brighter flash of light as it hit, and the dragon staggered. Talking advantage of the distraction, Inuyasha leapt up and used his Claws of Steel to carve the shard out of the dragon's head.  
_  
"I shot at it, distracted it. Inuyasha jumped up and clawed the shard out of it's forehead."  
  
_The dragon roared in fury and pain. Inuyasha threw the shard towards Kagome before striking at his opponent again and again with his claws. Kagome ran to where the shard had fallen, picking it up without taking her eyes off the battle before her. It was clear within moments that the loss of the shard had weakened the monster and that Inuyasha was going to win easily. Taking advantage of his opponent's new vulnerability, Inuyasha drew back and once more loosed the Cutting Wind. This time it hit it's target and the dragon was sliced to pieces.  
_  
"He threw me the shard and kept attacking the dragon. He had it on the ropes pretty quick, and he used the Cutting Wind to kill it."  
  
_The dragon dead, Inuyasha came over to make sure that Kagome was all right and that she had the shard. Miroku and Sango joined them. And that, of course, was when Naraku appeared.  
_  
"Then Naraku showed up."  
  
_"Well, well. Still alive after all this time. How very impressive." They turned to face the unpleasantly familiar voice. Naraku stood applauding in midst of the dragon debris, his elegant kimono a startling contrast to the blood and bone around him.  
  
"Naraku." It was a growl low in each of their throats. Three years of cat and mouse have stirred enmity to something closely resembling hatred.  
  
Inuyasha charged forward, swinging Tetsusaiga and calling forth the Cutting Wind, but Naraku merely gestured with one hand and a blast of wind from above diverted the attack. Shippo, closer to the demon than any of the others, leaped at Naraku's throat only to be cast aside. His head struck a rock as he fell, rendering him unconscious. Naraku gestured again, and a familiar form appeared in front of him, freezing them in their tracks. Sango cried out and stepped forward until Miroku reached out to restrain her.  
  
"Are you pleased to see your brother again, Sango?" Naraku's voice was even smoother when contrasted with her snarl.  
  
"Let him go."  
  
"I can't do that just yet, I'm afraid. But never fear. I promise you that soon he'll be free." There was no visible signal passed, but Kohaku leapt forward, his chain sickle swinging towards his sister and Miroku. Inuyasha took the opportunity to leap at Naraku.  
_  
"He had Sango's brother, Kohaku, with him. He ordered him to attack us."  
  
_Miroku's staff swept out, tangling in the chain, and he used his strength to pull the weapon away from the boy. Kohaku let it go, switching to throwing a series of darts at the pair as he continued his charge. Miroku and Sango leapt clear, leading Kohaku away from Naraku, hoping to disarm him.  
_  
"Sango and Miroku were trying to keep Kohaku from doing any damage without hurting him."  
  
_Sango and Miroku were fighting Kohaku, trying to keep him out of the battle without killing him. Somehow, from somewhere, a throng of lesser demons appeared to assist him. Sango used her Boomerang Bone to destroy most of them, but a few slipped through. Within moments, monk and demon hunter found themselves in close quarters with a number of lesser monsters. Miroku laid about with his staff, Sango with her sword. They acquitted themselves well, but when Sango took a chance and retrieved the Boomerang Bone to throw at her brother a demon managed to break through their defenses. It was lunging for an off-balance Sango when Miroku unleashed the Air Rip and sucked the creature in. Unfortunately, before he could reseal the Rip, one of the ever-present wasps was sucked in as well. The bone missed Kohaku. Miroku gasped and collapsed as the wasp's venom poured into his veins.  
_  
"Miroku had to use the Air Rip. He sucked in one of Naraku's poison wasps."  
  
_Inuyasha attacked Naraku fiercely. Kagome stood at a distance, trying to get enough of an opening to shoot an arrow, but the fight was too unpredictable, and every time she thought she had a clear shot, Inuyasha got in the way again. For a while it seemed like Inuyasha's assault might be succeeding; Naraku had been slashed a number of times and was bleeding heavily. Inuyasha drew back again and used the Cutting Wind once more. Naraku didn't even try to evade it. It connected and he was cut to pieces.  
_  
"Inuyasha used the Cutting Wind on Naraku. We thought it killed him."  
  
_They were cautiously approaching the centre of the strewn body parts, where Kagome could see the Shikon's glow, when the pieces began to reassemble themselves. But this time, instead of facing Naraku's human form, Kagome and Inuyasha found themselves confronting a huge, multi-tentacled creature. Kagome, further away from the epicenter, managed to leap clear, but a tentacle snared Inuyasha and dragged him toward the revived Naraku.  
_  
"It didn't. He reformed into a-a *thing*, about fifteen feet tall, with a *lot* of tentacles. He grabbed Inuyasha."  
  
_Inuyasha carved at the tentacles with his Claws of Steel, but whenever he managed to break free of one, another was there to take it's place. Kagome tried to move around Naraku, to get a shot without hitting Inuyasha, but the demon rotated with her, using the half-demon as a shield. As he did so, he chanted something in a language Kagome didn't recognize. She was so focused on her enemy that at first she didn't notice that Inuyasha's hair now shone black under the noonday sun.  
_  
"He cast some kind of spell on Inuyasha. A spell that made him human, even though it was daytime, and a week after the full moon."  
  
_As he finished the spell, Naraku crushed Inuyasha in his tentacles, forcing a sharp groan from him. The unusual sound drew Kagome's attention, and she was shocked by what she saw.  
  
"Give me the shard, girl, and I won't kill your doggie boyfriend here and now."  
_  
"He told me to give him the shard."  
  
_Kagome hesitated, unable to get off a shot without hitting Inuyasha. From the corner of her eye, she could see Sango, still fighting Kohaku. Suddenly an arrow flew in from the side, striking Naraku and loosening his hold on Inuyasha, who fell to the ground and lay motionless. Naraku and Kagome both turned to see Kikyo standing at the edge of the clearing, another arrow drawn and aimed at Naraku.  
  
"His life belongs to me, Naraku. You have promised. You may not kill him." Soul stealers drifted agitatedly around Kikyo as the undead priestess confronted the demon who had killed her. Kikyo was not happy.  
_  
"Kikyo showed up then. She freed Inuyasha with one of her arrows."  
  
_"Greetings, dearest Kikyo. Have you kept your promise?" The voice contained mild irritation, nothing more.  
  
"There are no more shards, Naraku, just the one in your puppet and the one my reincarnation holds in her hand."  
  
"Then I have no more need of you, do I?" Naraku raised a tentacle and swiped at Kikyo, but she dodged and loosed her arrow at the limb, destroying it. Another arrow, this one fired by Kagome, hit Naraku's body and left a gaping wound in his side, breaking off more tentacles. Despite the injury his next attack connected solidly with Kikyo's body, catching her in the midsection, breaking her in half and knocking her bow into the trees._  
  
"He attacked her. We were both hurting him with our arrows. But not enough. He hit Kikyo and broke her body in half."  
  
_With Kikyou out of the picture, Naraku summoned Kohaku to stand in front of him, using Kohaku's body as a shield against Kagome and Sango.  
  
"Now, demon hunter, bring me the shard your friend has in her possession, and I may return your brother to you."  
_  
"Naraku called Kohaku back to him, told Sango he'd free him if she gave him the shard."  
  
_For what seemed an eternity but was really only a few seconds, Sango stared at her brother, and at the monster controlling him. Tears began to roll down her face as resolution settled over it.  
  
"No. You won't. You need the shard in his back to complete the Shikon no Tama." She began to shake and covered her face with her hands, shoulders shuddering as she tried to get herself under control.  
_  
"She told him no. He'd lied so many times before she couldn't believe him."  
  
_"I'll give it to you," Kagome said, stepping forward, but it was too late. Naraku, angered by Sango's refusal, slashed at Kohaku's back, cutting the shard out. Kohaku staggered for a moment, free and confused and in pain.  
_  
"So he took the shard out of Kohaku's back."  
  
_"Sister?"  
  
Sango looked up.  
  
"Kohaku." She screamed the name, running towards her brother, catching him in her arms as he collapsed. He died in her arms as she cried over him.  
_  
"The loss killed him."  
  
_Naraku turned and advanced on Kagome.  
  
"Now it's your turn," he told her, and she stepped forward to face him.  
  
"You won't get away with this," she replied, rage and grief for her friend filling her.  
  
Naraku lunged, tentacles extended to strike, and suddenly Kagome was surrounded by a brilliant blue aura. The tentacles hit it and burned away. Naraku screamed in pain and withdrew. The attack drew Sango's attention, jolting her out of her grief enough for her to grab her Boomerang Bone and fling it at Naraku. It hit him as he retreated, wounding him further. Kagome managed to draw and shoot another arrow. It also hit, burning away more of Naraku's body. Defeated, damaged, Naraku retreated, vanishing into his ever-present miasma. Kagome could no longer sense him or the Shikon he carried, and she knew that he was gone.  
_  
"He attacked me then. And something happened. My power. I don't know how, but I made a shield, and when he hit it it hurt him. Badly. Sango and I drove him away."  
  
_Kagome ran to check on Inuyasha, who had not yet recovered consciousness. On examining him she discovered that several of his ribs appeared to be broken, and that he had taken a hard blow to his head and was still unconscious. And that he was still fully human.  
  
Before returning to Kohaku's body, Sango went to check on Miroku. Her voice drew Kagome's attention and she looked up to see Sango crying again, this time holding Miroku's hand.  
  
Deciding that Inuyasha needed more help than she could give him right now, but that Miroku might still be saved, Kagome went to kneel by the stricken monk, holding his injured arm in her hands as she concentrated on purifying the venom coursing through his veins. She could sense it fading away under her efforts, and smiled at Sango's obvious relief when Miroku relaxed under their hands. She even managed a small laugh when he groped at Sango's backside.  
_  
"Miroku was still alive. I neutralized the wasp venom. He lived."  
  
_Kagome returned to sit by Inuyasha, uncertain about what to do. His injuries were beyond her ability to treat, and they were too far from the well to return to her time. After a while Sango joined her, followed by Shippo and a staggering Miroku once they had finally regained consciousness. No one noticed as Kikyo's soul stealers rebuilt her body and she rose to stand near them, her eyes locked on Inuyasha's motionless form.  
  
They built a pallet and used it to carry Inuyasha to the a small hut at the edge of the village intended for use of the sick and dying. For hours they waited for a sign. Near midnight, it seemed they had one.  
  
"K-kagome?" Inuyasha's voice was faint and full of pain. They gathered around him, relieved that he had finally woken.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice was hoarse, hours of crying having taken their toll. "Don't move. You have some broken ribs, and if you move..."  
  
"Don't worry." He told her. "I don't think it matters."  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kagome found that she still had tears to cry. Shippo flung himself against her, sobbing. Beside them, Sango was clinging to a grim faced Miroku's hand.  
  
"Tetsusaiga. Where is it?" He whispered the question.  
  
"Over there." She gestured at the sword leaning in the corner of the hut where Shippo had been guarding it.  
  
Inuyasha turned his head painfully to look at his sword. He looked back at Kagome.  
  
"It's yours now. Look after it." He looked over to the doorway, to where Kikyo was standing. He smiled sadly. "I'm sorry Kikyo. It looks like I'm going to break my promise." The priestess came into the hut and knelt beside him, taking his other hand in hers.  
  
"Inuyasha."  
  
It was too late; Inuyasha had already passed back into unconsciousness. For the rest of the night, they kept a solemn vigil, the silence broken only by occasional sobs.  
  
Shortly after sunrise, Inuyasha died. As his companions mourned, Kikyo screamed out her rage and stormed out of the hut into the woods.  
_  
"But I couldn't restore Inuyasha's demon half. He couldn't heal himself. He died."  
  
***  
  
Notes:  
Thank to everyone who's reviewed so far. It made me happy.  
  
To answer questions: Kikyo, for your reading pleasure. Will it be Sess/Kag? Maybe, maybe not. I know how part of the next chapter will go, but that's about it. I'm making it up as I write. One thing you *can* assume is that there's probably going to be a fight with Naraku at some point ;)  
  
So this time around we had a battle and two death scenes. Does that make up for the lack of action last time around? Was Inuyasha's death too melodramatic? Or too OOC?  
  
  



	4. Snakes

Disclaimer - If you recognize it from anything other than the previous chapters of this story, it's not mine. 

The Bargain - Ch 3

With the part of his mind that was not busy scanning their surroundings for impending danger, Sesshomaru thought back to the previous night's revelations as he led his little band along a winding hillside path.

He had sensed the pain that filled Kagome as she forced herself to remember Inuyasha's last battle, seen the tears that ran down her face as she recounted his death, but her emotions were of no real concern to him. What did concern him was how those emotions might affect their ability to fight Naraku. He, Sesshomaru, had not managed to take his father's place as Lord of the Western Lands by permitting his emotions to control him, and he had little experience in fighting alongside those who did. 

Would the humans be able to put their grief and pain aside, or would they allow their emotions to lead them into folly? Would Naraku be able to exploit them to his advantage?

Not that he was particularly concerned for the monk and demon hunter. Those two could die screaming for all he cared, and if their deaths helped bring about Naraku's own, so much the better. But he had sworn an oath to assist Kagome in accomplishing her task, and to fulfill it he needed to keep her alive, at least until Naraku had been destroyed. 

Although his customary mask of indifference had hidden it, Kagome's account of how Naraku had stripped Inuyasha of his demon powers disturbed him. How had the creature done it? What spell or artifact had he used, and could it be used on a full demon as well? 

The thought disturbed Sesshomaru, and he decided that it reinforced his decision to return to his lands. In the library of his palace were numerous texts that might contain the information he sought, and he would be able to consult with his advisors, who might be able to determine how Naraku had done this thing and if he, Sesshomaru, would be vulnerable. If he might find himself *human*.

The mere thought appalled him: he, Sesshomaru, a human, powerless and mortal. He would rather be dead. 

Behind him, he could hear children's laughter. It warmed him, though he would never admit it. Rin had been delighted to have a playmate close to her own age, and had rapidly managed to drag the fox into a game whose rules seemed to change at random. Now they were chasing each other through the trees in a game of hide and go seek, the boy using his powers of illusion to try to confuse Rin into overlooking him in the light underbrush.

Not for the first time, he wondered if Rin would have been better served if he had left her at his palace. He found that he enjoyed the presence of the human child, and she seemed content with their travels. But would it have been better for her to be near other children, and females who could teach her proper behavior? And she would be protected, as she was not now, from Naraku, who could spring upon them at any moment.

Kagome had been letting her mind drift as she trailed behind the others, exhausted after the previous night's storytelling. She winced as her foot came down on yet another rock, twisting her ankle and threatening to send her sliding down the leaf scattered hill. Miroku reached out to catch her arm, helping her regain her balance, and she flashed him a grateful smile. He returned it with a distracted nod, his eyes locked on a figure ahead of them, and Kagome frowned.

This was a problem.

"How is she?" It was her first real chance to talk to Miroku privately since her return, and from the looks of things, she was afraid his answer wasn't going to be what she had been hoping to hear. _Oh, Sango. I wish..._

"I don't know." Miroku looked over at her, and Kagome could see the pain in his eyes. "She won't talk to me, won't let me help her." His laugh was harsh and spoke more of frustration than humor. "She doesn't even react if I grope her. She just stares off into the distance with that look on her face."

The once lecherous monk and the demon hunter had grown close over the years and Kagome had been anticipating them announcing a wedding, or at least becoming lovers, before the battle that had cost them all so dearly. But the relationship seemed to have been derailed by Kohaku's death, when Sango had been consumed by the hatred of Naraku that had been simmering below her calm surface since the death of her father.

"It's natural for her to be angry," Kagome reminded him. "She's lost so much because of Naraku. It's only been a few weeks. She just needs some time." They were platitudes, she knew, but hope was all she had to offer her friend now.

"I know, Kagome. But I fear that Sango will do something ... intemperate ... if we don't find Naraku soon. I see her becoming more impatient every day. I'm not certain she is willing to wait for him to come to us." Kagome could see strain and fear in his face, and she was opening her mouth to say something, she wasn't sure what, when a child's scream pierced the air. Rin!!!

Sesshomaru beat the rest of them to Rin and the fox handily, the green glow emanating from his claws a clear warning to anything threatening his foster daughter that it should flee instantly, but there was nothing there to heed the threat. The only thing occupying the clearing was a partially dismembered human corpse whose entrails appeared to have been eaten. He allowed his power to dissipate and placed his hand on Rin's head, hoping to comfort the girl. Despite all she had seen and experienced in her short life, Rin retained an innocence that Sesshomaru tried to protect, and he felt regret that he had not smelled the odor of death before she had come across this sight.

He heard the others coming up behind him at a run. There were several gasps as the humans saw what lay in the clearing, and Kagome came to catch Shippo up in her arms.

She retreated several steps and examined the corpse from a distance, trying desperately to keep the lunch she had consumed earlier from coming back up. "What could have done this to him?"

"A flesh eater of some sort," Sango told her, carefully checking their surroundings to make sure whatever had killed the man was gone. 

"It has departed," Sesshomaru told her, his acute senses having informed him that they were the only living beings in the vicinity. "This corpse is hours old. Come," he turned back to their path, dismissing the body without another thought. "We must continue our journey."

"But we can't just leave!" Kagome exclaimed, shocked by his callousness. "We need to find whatever killed him and stop it!" Her voice was determined, and she could see Miroku nodding from where he stood beside the remains.

"Why?" Sesshomaru ignored the monk, directing his question at Kagome, curious about this human's tendency to seek out trouble. The man was dead after all, and nothing she did could reverse that. "He is past caring."

"But whatever did this might attack other people." She was going to be stubborn, Sesshomaru realized. He wondered if he should just carry her off despite her protests.

"We shouldn't bother," said the demon hunter, her voice as frozen as Sesshomaru's own. "If we go after it, we risk getting ourselves killed before we can deal with Naraku. And then who would be left to claim vengeance for what he has done?" 

"I don't care. I'm going after it." Kagome looked around her, obviously trying to figure out where 'it' had gone. Eager to help, Shippo jumped out of her arms and sniffed at the ground. He found a scent trail leading off through the trees.

"It went that way," he said, pointing past the body and away from the path they had been following. His contribution was rewarded by Kagome's smile.

"Ok, let's go," she said, pulling an arrow from her quiver and taking several steps in the direction Shippo had indicated, then stopping when Sesshomaru stepped in front of her to block her way.

"I have no interest in wasting time or effort tracking this killer of humans," he told her, golden eyes glaring down at her. "I have promised to assist you in destroying Naraku, not every demon you wish to be rid of."

"It might not be a bad idea," Miroku said, before Kagome could open her mouth to argue. "We haven't had to fight together since we lost Inuyasha. This might be a good opportunity to try fighting without him. Practice, so to speak." He looked at Sesshomaru and Sango as he said the last, obviously hoping that they would take his advice.

Sesshomaru could see reluctance on the demon exterminator's face, but despite it she nodded her agreement. Having lost his only potential ally, he turned his gaze to the male human, and was forced to concede that _the human does have a point._ If they were to battle Naraku together, as seemed to be his fate, then it would be best if they took the time to learn each other's fighting styles before they did so. Otherwise, they risked stumbling blindly into each other and offering Naraku unnecessary advantages.

"Very well. Jaken," he called without looking around has he allowed his nose to lead him in the direction of their prey, "protect Rin until I return." He strode off, leaving the others to hurry to catch up with him.

Within an hour, the trail led them to a small village. It was only with effort that Sesshomaru managed to refrain from wrinkling his nose at the rank smell of human and fear that hovered over it. Following the spoor, he tracked the man-eater through the villages main square. He was heading toward the forest on the far side when a voice called out.

"Hold demons." The firm command came from a young woman in the red and white robes of a Shinto shrine priestess. In her hands, she held a drawn bow, the arrow pointing at Sesshomaru's chest. Behind her were ranged several villagers armed with rakes and spades. "What business have you here?"

Sesshomaru was furious at their temerity. He, Sesshomaru, was deigning to destroy the creature that threatened these insignificant mortals, and in return they dared threaten him? He was on the verge of killing the wench, and all of her her defenders, when Kagome intervened.

"Hi!" She stepped between the demon and the priestess and waved at the assembly. "Can you help us? We found a man's body on the path up the hill there, and we tracked whatever killed him here." Behind her, she heard Sesshomaru growl deep in his throat but she ignored him.

"You hunt the man-eaters?" The priestess asked with surprise. The travelers could see suspicion in her eyes as she peered at the tall demon lord in front of her and the smaller fox demon holding Kagome's hand.

Kagome nodded. "We found a man's body up there," she gestured behind her, in the direction they had come, "about an hour ago. It had been partially eaten. We thought we'd track whatever did it down and kill it."

The priestess bowed her head for a moment at her first statement, and when she raised it they could see tears glimmering in her eyes.

"The man was Yujiro. He was trying to get away from the village. He thought he could find a demon exterminator to help us rid ourselves of this threat." The voice that had been so firm when it challenged them now held despair.

"What is the threat, exactly, Lady Priestess?" Miroku asked her curiously, stepping forward to draw her attention. "Can you tell us?"

She nodded sadly. "I must make arrangements to have Yujiro's body attended to, but when I return I will tell you of our demons," she told them. She gestured to one of her attendants, an older man, who came forward reluctantly. "I will have tea brought to you while you wait," she told Kagome.

"Are you sure, Lady Mei? They look like trouble to me." He fingers didn't relax their grip on his shovel for a moment.

The priestess looked over the travelers again, assessing them and the danger they posed to the village.

"I believe that as long as they offer us no direct threat, we should not provoke them, Hogo." Her eyes stopped on Sesshomaru, whom she clearly saw as the greatest threat. "We have enough trouble with our own demons. We do not need to borrow more."

The man bowed to her and turned to the travelers.

"If you would please," he bowed slightly and indicated that they should precede him to a house located near the shrine. Sesshomaru stood motionless, uninterested in anything this humans could tell them and irritated by the delay. Kagome gave him a glare and headed toward the small building. Shippo and the others humans followed her. Finding himself the cynosure of the villagers' eyes, Sesshomaru resigned himself to the delay and followed them.

The hut to which they were guided was oddly familiar, reminiscent of Kaede's. After their guide departed, presumably to arrange for some refreshments, they seated themselves on the matted floor. Sesshomaru once more occupied the seat nearest the door, closest to the less stifling air outdoors. The man had just returned with the tea when the priestess came in.

"If indeed you wish to help our village by destroying the demons which plague it, then we are in your debt," she told them, after she had filled their cups "but I am afraid we have little reward to offer you."

Kagome shrugged, still self-conscious after years of this kind of thing. "That's all right. We're not doing it for a reward." It was a measure of how things had changed six weeks ago that neither Miroku nor Sango saw fit to argue with her. "What can you tell us about the thing that killed that man?"

Her eyes grew distant, focusing on something the others could not see. "Several years ago, a young man in a nearby village fell in love with one of the young woman who lived here. He pursued her quite persistently, but she was betrothed to another and she refused his attentions." At this her eyes grew clearer, and she looked at them as though willing them to believe the rest of her tale. "After her rejection, he withdrew to his house and refused to eat or drink. In time, he became ill, and when he died, his skin split open and a snake crawled out."

Miroku nodded calmly. "I have heard of such things before. Unrestrained lust is a snake that burns in the hearts of some, and can be brought to true life if the wish is great enough."

"Ah," said the priestess, obviously relieved that her odd tale was being believed. "That is not all, however. This snake then came in search of the woman who had refused him and killed her with its poison. When she died, she too became a serpent. I was tending her that night, and when I saw the snake emerge from her, I destroyed it, but I was unable to destroy the other one and it escaped."

"Since that day, the demon has travelled from village to village in this area, killing and consuming men and poisoning and transforming young women. Now it has returned to this village with several of it's offspring, and it has been hunting us." "So that means we should try not to get bit, right?" asked Kagome. Privately, she was wishing she'd listened to Sesshomaru and Sango. _Snakes,_ she shuddered. _I hate snakes._.

Lady Mei nodded. "It's venom is always fatal."

"Do you know where the nest is?" Even with her rage focused on Naraku instead of the present threat, Sango was cooly practical about her job. 

The priestess shook her head. "We tried tracking them at first, but they killed all of the men we sent out. The attacks are frequent enough that I have been forced to stay in the village to protect it, but I fear that if the demons are not soon stopped, eventually I will fail."

"Do you know when the demons are active?" asked Miroku. "Do they sleep at night, or during the day?"

"They have attacked during the night as well as the day," the priestess responded with a sigh. "It is what makes defending against them so difficult."

"Well, that's what we're here for," Kagome told her, rising to her feet with determination. "Let's go," she said to the others. "The sooner we start, the sooner it will be over." _And the sooner this is over, the sooner I can stop thinking about snakes._

Everyone followed her out of the house. She took several steps in the direction they had been traveling when they entered the village, then stopped abruptly, blushing as she looked back over her shoulder. "Where are we going?"

Relieved that the delay had been so short, Sesshomaru sighed and strode forward, taking the lead. But Kagome's confusion amused him. _Humans, so determined, but so helpless_ he thought.

An hour later they stood on a crag in the hillside looking down on snakes' nest. It was a small cave near the bottom of a ravine, near a swampy bend in a stream. From their vantage point, they could see two of the snakes, but Sesshomaru insisted that there were several more of the creatures in the vicinity, probably in the cave. 

"So how do we do this?" Kagome's question was uncertain as she looked down on their prey. Although it was aimed at Miroku and Sango, Sesshomaru overheard the question and turned to face her.

"You are unprepared for battle?" he asked her, mildly curious. This assault was her idea after all. 

"It's not that. It's just ... usually, we get jumped. Or Inuyasha," she was proud of her self for saying the name without faltering, "would just charge in swinging Tetsusaiga and the rest of us would follow. I don't think we've ever really planned an attack before. They just sort of happen." She shrugged sheepishly under his blank stare.

For the first time in decades, Sesshomaru had to work at maintaining his impassive expression. _They just sort of happen_!?! _*These* are the humans who thwarted my attempts to gain control of Tetsusaiga_? He was torn between a desire to laugh hysterically and a desire to scream at the girl and her companions. _All my careful plots confounded by chance. After we defeat Naraku, I may have to kill them to prevent that knowledge from spreading._

Dismissing the thought, he turned to look down at the visible snakes. "I suggest we leave the fox cub here to serve as a sentry. The rest of us will surround the cave and destroy the snakes." He looked at the Kagome, then at the other humans. _After all, they are to be a part of this as well,_ he thought in resignation. "Since you all have weapons which can be used at a distance, and since as mortals you will be susceptible to the snakes' poison, I suggest we try to avoid close contact with these creatures."

"But I want to stay with Kagome," Shippo whined, only to break off at a cool look from the older demon.

"You will be a distraction to her, and will better serve us by remaining here and warning us if any snakes should approach from our rear." _And Rin's playmate will be safer up here than in the middle of combat._

"Please, Shippo," Kagome added coaxingly, and Shippo agreed reluctantly. He searched for an inconspicuous place to hide while the others crept stealthily down the hillside, one that would let him see out over the floor of the ravine and keep an eye on the combat to come.

"Kagome." As they worked there way towards the trees they would be using for shelter, Kagome heard Sango call her name. She looked over to see her friend watching her with shadowed eyes. "What is it, Sango?" she asked. "If we are to do this thing, I wish you to promise me something." The shadows had lifted and Kagome could see the pain burning down in the depths of Sango's soul. "What?" She was curious as to what Sango could possibly want that she would need a promise for. "If I am killed, then promise me that you will make Naraku pay for what he has done. To us, and to Kohaku." _Oh, Sango. You know I'll do that, for all of us._ "I promise. But nothing is going to happen to you. This is just a dry run, remember?" She hoped, anyway. It had sounded good when Miroku suggested it, and she was the one who had wanted to do this, but _Snakes._ "No one is going to get hurt." "Thank you, Kagome." Seemingly satisfied by Kagome's promise and ignoring the rest of her words, Sango returned her attention to the clearing, and Kagome crept to her designated station. She caught Sesshomaru watching Sango, and the expression in his eyes made shivers crawl down her spine. It wasn't threatening, it was ... calculating somehow. As though he had seen something important he thought he could use. Once they were all in position, Kagome started the fight by loosing one of her arrows at one of the snakes, bisecting it before either of the creatures could react to the unexpected attack. As the demon writhed and died, its companion hissed shrilly, summoning assistance. The mouth of the cave exploded with writhing darkness as the demons within erupted to confront their attackers.

There were more of the snake demons than they had expected after hearing the priestess' tale. Kagome managed to count at least twelve before she lost track as the creatures bodies knotted over each other. The sheer number of the creatures helped in the attack: several of the newcomers were cut down by a single blow from Sango's boomerang as they slithered toward her. As the weapon was returning to Sango's hand, Kagome managed to fire off several more arrows.

Once begun, the slaughter was quick and relatively easy. Kagome and Sango stood near the stream, using their weapons to eliminate the snake demons from a distance. Miroku stood between them, his Air Rip devouring any snake that managed to avoid the airborne attack. Sesshomaru stood behind Kagome, prepared to leap forward and destroy anything that managed to get through their offense. He was shredding one such demon with his claws when he heard the fox cub's panicked shout.

"Kagome! Miroku! Behind you! Watch out!" 

Adrenaline shot through Sesshomaru, boosting his already superhuman speed, and hu spun away from the dead snake to see two new demons, larger than the ones they had been fighting, rising from the stream to attack the humans from the rear. One of them, the smaller one, was closing on Miroku, too close for him to use the Air Rip. The monk was frantically trying to reseal his hand and bring his staff around so he could use it to strike at the creature. 

The larger of the two new snake demons was slithering quickly towards Kagome, who had somehow managed to lose her bow and who was making a stumbling retreat toward Sesshomaru, her eyes locked on the creature approaching her.

Reacting without thought to the threat to Kagome, Sesshomaru launched himself into the air, poison claws extended. As he flew toward the larger snake, he heard the other human woman cry out, and from the corner of his eye he saw her pummeling the other snake. The corrosive acid of his claws easily severed the head of his prey, and he turned to assess the situation.

He was pleased to see that Kagome was unharmed, and that she had retrieved her bow and was taking care of the few remaining demons from the cave. The monk was kneeling, his staff still held in one hand, his arms wrapped around the demon hunter, who was sobbing into his shoulder. The demon that had attacked him lay in pieces on the ground behind them. 

Dismissing the humans, Sesshomaru stalked around the area, scenting the air in search of other, hidden, threats. Finally assured that the snake demons were all dead, he turned to look at Kagome. "Do you not have a weapon to use in close combat?" 

Sesshomaru's voice was emotionless as always, but something in the question made Kagome wince. She didn't want to speak, and she was too tired to think anyway, so she simply shook her head silently as she stood and watched her closest friend crying. _I hope you're back, Sango. Please be back._

The demon lord studied Kagome, seeing the exhaustion lining her face. _She did well, given that she was up most of the night, but she must be allowed to rest soon._ He was unwillingly impressed by her lack of complaints about having to walk and fight on next to no sleep.

"That must be remedied. And we must work on your tactics. This was a simple enough battle that you should have been able to plan it yourselves."

"Hey," Kagome protested, "we would have figured it out. Sango's done this kind of thing before. And we've managed to survive this far, haven't we."

Sesshomaru didn't respond, turning instead to the way back to the village. 

As Kagome drew level with them, Miroku helped Sango to her feet, keeping his arm around her shoulders he lead her in the direction Sesshomaru had taken. Kagome wanted to speak, to express her relief at seeing Sango reacting to something other than her hatred of Naraku, but she was too drained by her lack of sleep and the intense battle to do more than put one foot in front of the other. 

They stopped in the village to let the priestess know that the snakes had been destroyed before continuing on. It was nearly sunset by the time they returned to where Jaken and Rin were waiting. The villagers had obviously been, since the corpse had vanished. They set out once more, but they hadn't been walking for more than fifteen minutes when they came to a small clearing and Sesshomaru spoke. His words surprised everyone.

"We will remain here for the night." Kagome might have been grateful for whatever had moved him to this decision, but she was too busy setting out her bedroll and collapsing to think about it.

Hours later, after the others were all asleep, Sesshomaru sat at the foot of a nearby tree, scanning the night for danger and planning the defeat of Naraku.

***

Notes: Season's Greetings everyone. Pick your holiday and enjoy it. Sorry this took a while to get out. There's an old curse "May you live in interesting times." If you've ever thought that it doesn't sound like much of a curse, trust me, it is. Boy, is it ever. 

Isn't thwarted a great word? I just had to use it. Thwarted. Thwarted, thwarted, thwarted. I'm happy now. :)


	5. Shadows

Disclaimer: No characters were harmed in the production of this story.

* * *

The Bargain - ch 4 

Shippo and Rin were off playing in the woods, once more under Jaken's grudging supervision, and the remainder of their original group was having a heated argument. The harsh tone of Sango's voice made it clear that her earlier tears had been an aberration, and that she was still nowhere near ready to think about anything but her anger and her hatred of Naraku. 

"Do you really think a coward like Naraku is going to try to attack Sesshomaru on his own land?" Scorn dripped from the question, and Kagome had to admit that the demon exterminator had a point. Naraku had tricked and trapped them for years; it was hard to believe that he would take such a risk.

"I think we should give it a shot. After all, we've been chasing Naraku for years and haven't managed to catch up to him long enough to stop him. Maybe forcing him to come to us will give us the advantage for once." Kagome was repeating the same thing she had been saying since they had joined Sesshomaru, with little confidence that Sango would listen. She was too wrapped up in her own hatred of the monster that had killed her brother to think of anything other than the fact that she wasn't pursuing him, wasn't *hunting* him.

"True. And admit this Sango: without Inuyasha, we are at a severe disadvantage when it comes to fighting Naraku. Without him, Naraku would have killed us years ago. If Sesshomaru is willing to fight with us, we need to accept that assistance on whatever terms he offers. We need his sword to have a chance at destroying Naraku." Miroku was also repeating arguments made before, and Sango was no more receptive to him than she had been to Kagome.

"Fine." Sango growled, disgust in every line of her face as she stomped on ahead of them. "I'll wait. For now. But if we don't see some sign of Naraku soon, I'm going after him on my own, whether you want to help or not."

Kagome sighed, and hoped that Sesshomaru was right, and that this plan of his would lure Naraku out of wherever he was hiding. Her attention drifted ahead, not for the first time. Sesshomaru strode at the front of their little group, seemingly ignoring the dissention behind him, but she knew he noticed everything. 

"I'm worried about her, Miroku. She's almost worse today than she was before."

The priest was watching Sango as she stormed away from them, kicking at the ground. "I know, Kagome." He sighed. "I'm worry about her too. This much rage isn't good. It's choking her. And ..." his voice trailed off.

"And what?" Kagome asked, worried. What was it Miroku was seeing that she wasn't?

This time it was Miroku who sighed. "She blames herself for Kohaku's death. Even if we manage to kill Naraku, I'm not sure she'll be able to forgive herself." His eyes were sad, and Kagome wished she could comfort him. She knew how it felt to lose someone you loved, and she prayed her friend would be spared this pain. 

Something occurred to her, and she spoke without thinking. "Sesshomaru was watching her yesterday, and I didn't like the look in his eyes." Kagome looked away, not wanting to see her friend's reaction to the words. He walked beside her in silence for several minutes. 

"Do you think he will harm her?" Miroku finally asked. His voice was carefully level.

Kagome thought about it for a bit before shaking her head. "No. But it really creeped me out. He's planning something, and somehow it involves Sango."

Miroku's fist clenched and unclenched several times as he stared after the demon leading them towards his home. "If he hurts her, I'll kill him."

Kagome reached out to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'll help."

They walked in silence until Sesshomaru came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the trail. Sango, lost in her anger, nearly ran into him. 

"Rin" he ordered. "Come here. Now."

The young girl obeyed immediately, abandoning her game with her new friend and running to stand in front of her foster father. "Yes, Sesshomaru-sama." Shippo, abandoned, came to stand with Kagome and Miroku.

"What is it?" Kagome asked the demon, looking around to see what had disturbed him. She couldn't see anything, couldn't sense anything, but she was only human after all.

"Death, and demons," he said abruptly, sniffing at the air.

"Where?" she asked, pulling an arrow out of her quiver and notching it on her bow. She looked around again, but still there was nothing to disturb the forest's stillness.

"Ahead of us." He stepped off the path, Rin following closely at his heels. "We will go around the village."

"A village?" Kagome asked. "We have to go see if they need help!"

Sesshomaru stopped and glared at her. "No." The word was uncompromising in it's finality.

"What?" Kagome was appalled by his lack of concern. "How can you say no? What if they need our help?"

"They will have to do without you. We do not have time for such diversions."

Kagome looked over to Miroku, expecting his support. She was unsurprised to see Sango standing near Sesshomaru, but it was a shock when Miroku avoided her eyes.

"Miroku?" her voice was questioning. He had always been willing to help the people they met on their travels before.

"Kagome," his voice was apologetic. "I must agree with Sesshomaru this time." His eyes flicked to her briefly before settling on Sango. "We cannot risk ourselves before we meet Naraku."

"What about learning to fight together?" she challenged him angrily, throwing his words from the day before back at him.

"I believe," his eyes came back to meet hers and she saw fear in them. Fear for soul of the woman he loved. "We have more important concerns now."

For a moment, Kagome was swayed by the plea. She hesitated, torn between her instinctive desire to help others, and the equally intense need to help her friends. Her indecision lasted too long.

She heard a low growl as Sesshomaru moved abruptly towards her. Before she could react, he had picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder, careful to avoid impaling her on his spiked armor. She shrieked in panic and beat at his back, trying to force him to drop her. He was unfazed.

"I will not be delayed again by your foolish human weakness," he told her as he strode into the woods, ignoring her attempts to regain her freedom. "There is no need for us to risk ourselves assisting a town full of human vermin. I, Sesshomaru, will not permit it. If you wish, you may return later, once I have dealt with Naraku."

"Put her down!" Shippo yelled, throwing himself at Sesshomaru in an attempt to force him to release his captive, but the older demon simply batted the young fox into a nearby tree.

"Shippo!" Kagome cried out with fear for her small friend and fought harder against the hand restraining her. "Dammit, Sesshomaru, let me go. I need to make sure he's OK."

"He is a demon. He will be fine." The emotionless voice informed her, and his words were confirmed when she saw Shippo stagger back to his feet.

Relief sapped her strength, and Kagome gave up her obviously futile struggles. She wanted to help the villagers, but Sango was her friend, and she supposed that it wasn't fair to her to risk getting any of them killed before Sango had the chance to confront the monster who had killed her family and friends. Besides, being hung upside down over Sesshomaru's bouncing shoulder was starting to make her stomach revolt.

"You win," she told the demon carrying her. "You can let me down now. And you'd better do it quickly if you don't want me to throw up on your pretty white kimono."

Sesshomaru immediately dropped her and she hit the ground with a solid thud.

_Ouch,_ she thought grumpily. "You could have been a bit gentler," she grumbled.

Unsurprisingly, he ignored her. And continued to ignore her as she muttered unhappily beneath her breath.

It was several silent, sullen, hours later and the first stars were beginning to appear in the sky when they once more ran across evidence of demons.

They were walking alongside a small creek when Kagome sensed a far too familiar, far from welcome presence.

"Sesshomaru," she called quietly, sliding her bow from her shoulder and nocking an arrow.

"I sense it," he answered her warning. "Rin," he called, "go stand by Jaken." The girl obeyed quickly and without comment; Shippo followed his companion, and soon the two children were towering over the diminutive toad demon. 

Sesshomaru looked around, searching for any sign of the newcomer. All that met his eyes were trees and their shadows.

"It's Naraku," Kagome told him. "And one of his puppets. I can't tell which is which from here." She pointed off to the left, to where an old and gnarled tree stood amid thick brush. "They're over there."

Sesshomaru drew Tetsusaiga and took a step towards the spot she had indicated. Before he could take another, a black figure broke from the ground and lunged at him. Reflexes sharpened by a century of battle kicked in and the fang's blade snapped up, cutting through the form but not damaging it.

_Shadow demons,_ the demon lord realized with a silent curse as he sidestepped the thing's claws. He heard the monk echo his thoughts aloud as he spun away from the shadow's blow.

"Shadow demons," the monk called out, pulling Kagome away from the pair that were springing from the ground at her feet.

"Great!" the priestess answered back. "So how do we kill them?" She glanced over at Sango , who was being ignored by the dark figures that were swarming towards Sesshomaru and Kagome. The demon exterminator was running frantically into the bush, screaming Naraku's name.

Miroku hesitated, torn between following Sango and staying behind to confront the more immediate threat. "Light," he ground out. "Light will drive them off, or damage them, if it's bright enough." Deciding that the advice was the only contribution he would be able to make to the fight, he quickly headed after the fading sound of Sango's voice.

"Light?" Sesshomaru heard Kagome ask in a choked voice. "Where are we supposed to get light at this time of night?" She had her bow and arrow ready, and drew a bead on one of their attackers; as she let the missile fly, the shaft was enveloped in a shining blue glow. The arrow hit one of the shadow demons, and it vanished with a scream as its companions recoiled slightly.

"I can make light, Kagome," she heard a child's voice say, and the clearing was suddenly filled with a burst of foxfire. Shippo stood protectively in front of Rin, calling all the magic he possessed into a shield. Several more of the attacking creatures screamed and disappeared as they hit the wall of flames, but they were quickly replaced by more.

"Jaken," Sesshomaru commanded, "the staff."

Kagome loosed another arrow and watched, puzzled, from the corner of her eye as the toad creature stepped forward and placed the tip of the staff he always carried against the ground. Just as Shippo's shield began to waver, the man's head began to wail. The noise died away, and the head opened its mouth to let out a brilliant burst of flame. Kagome's eyes widened in shock, but before she could react she felt herself being seized around the waist.

Kagome screamed, only to hear a familiar voice growl in her ear.

"Cease that infernal shrieking." Sesshomaru ordered as he dropped her beside the still burning flame. Kagome closed her mouth as he dropped Tetsusaiga to the ground beside her and drew the Tensaiga.

She watched in amazement as the healing blade began to glow and Sesshomaru strode out of the safety of the flames to attack the few remaining shadows, who fled before he could reach them.

"Hmpf." She heard him scoff, and for a moment she felt a pang in her chest. He sounded almost exactly like his half-brother. "Cowards. Unworthy of the power of the Tensaiga."

He sheathed the no-longer-glowing blade and indicated that Jaken should let the staff go out. Sesshomaru returned to the small group and retrieved Tetsusaiga before turning to examine the shadows.

"Naraku has fled." He stated, and Kagome nodded agreement.

"I can't feel him, or his shards, anymore," she told him. "I felt him leave when I destroyed the first shadow."

"Then we will continue our journey," he informed her coldly, beginning to walk off in the direction they had been travelling before the interruption. Jaken and Rin followed.

"But Sango and Miroku!" she gasped in disbelief. Could he possibly mean to leave her friends behind?

Sesshomaru stopped and turned to face her. Behind him, Jaken and Rin froze. Their lord did not take well to being defied. How would he respond to this confrontation? Shippo shivered, but bravely moved to stand next Kagome.

To Rin's relief and Jaken's disgust, Sesshomaru merely stared at the human female who stood glaring up at him.

"Our bargain was that I would assist you to recover the Shikon no Tama and destroy Naraku. Going after your foolish friends will advance neither goal." He reminded her bluntly. "And I believe we agreed that they would only travel with us so long as they did not delay us."

Kagome growled, curses she had learned from Inuyasha running through her mind. "I don't _believe_ you. They're my _friends_! Of course I'm going to help them!" She was about to launch into a lecture, when a shout in the distance reminded her of her original goal. "I'm going to go find them. We'll catch up later. Maybe." She spun and headed off in the direction of the shout, the same direction she had seen Miroku running during the fight. Shippo followed on her heels. She could vaguely hear the sounds of battle in the distance, and hoped it was her friends.

Unnoticed, Sesshomaru followed her.

It never occurred to Kagome that he could have simply picked her up and carried her off again. 

Shippo quickly took the lead, tracking his friends' scents through the darkened forest towards the crashing and shouting. Kagome followed him, bow and arrow at the ready. She prayed they would be in time.

When they caught up to the doppelganger and his pursuers, it became clear that they _were_ in time, but only barely. Sango lay unconscious on the ground with her boomerang bone broken on the ground beside her and Kohaku's chain-sickle tangled around one arm. Kirara in full battle form was braced protectively over her fallen mistress, growling at the figure Miroku was confronting. His Air Rip was open and already sucking at the hell wasps that surrounded him.

"Miroku!" Kagome screamed at the sight, desperately afraid that he had already been fatally poisoned. How many times could she bring him back from the damage wrought by the insects' venom?

The monk didn't answer her cry, but as soon as her glowing arrow streaked through the clearing, striking the puppet and purifying away its body, he wrapped the rosary around his hand had fell to his knees, sweating profusely.

The wasps fled with the death of their master, and Kagome rushed to kneel beside the her stricken friend.

"How many?" she asked him, hurriedly laying aside her bow and taking his hand in both of hers. He seemed worse than she remembered from the last time he had been stung by the wasps. Had he been bitten more than once? she wondered. Or was he just more succeptible to the venom now? Neither option made her feel better.

"Just one," he gasped, his growing pain evident in his face. "Just enough."

"Hold on, dammit, Miroku!" she ordered, concentrating fiercely, trying to summon forth the power Kaede had tried so hard to teach her to use. If he was being affected this quickly, she needed to work fast.

Fortunately, her power always seemed to work best under stress, and this time was no exception. Within seconds a pale blue glow had risen to surround them both, seeking out the poison tainting Miroku's body and rendering it harmless.

"Thank you, Lady Kagome," he told her, nearly collapsing with relief as the pain that had been dragging at him vanished. But it was a momentary relief, quickly replaced by concern. "Sango?" he asked, turning his face to where Shippo was examining the fallen exterminator.

"She's ok." they heard the fox demon say as he turned to face them. He was shivering slightly, but he seemed to have himself under control. "Just asleep. Kirara's ok too." he added, looking over at the two tailed kitten that stood mewing anxiously and butting her head at the unconscious woman, trying to rouse her. "But she's tired."

"Thank god," Kagome murmured. When she had seen Sango collapsed, she hadn't been sure if her friend was alive or dead.

"Indeed," a cold voice rang out. "May we _now_ continue our journey?" Sesshomaru had arrived and was watching them impassively from a slight distance.

Kagome was about to respond angrily when Miroku intervened, anxious to ward off Kagome's visibly seething temper. He doubted Sesshomaru would appreciate it any more than Inuyasha had, and they had no binding necklace to control this brother.

"Perhaps it would be a good idea to at least move some distance from this spot," he proposed. "Kirara can carry Sango for a while, and I am capable of walking." He looked around, noticing the deep shadows that surrounded them. "Although it is late, and we will need to rest soon anyway."

Thoughout his speech, Kagome glared at the dog demon. As soon as the monk finished, Sesshomaru nodded his assent and turned to leave. Then he hesitated "I will retrieve Rin and Jaken," he informed them. "And prepare a place to rest for the night. Follow when you are ready."

Kagome continued to glare at the space he had occupied for several beats after he was gone. "What _is_ it with dog demons and being annoying?" she grumbled irritatedly. 

Miroku and Shippo decided that discretion was the better part of valour and refrained from answering.

Still grumbling, Kagome helped Miroku to his feet before heading towards Sango. Kirara, understanding what would be required of her had transformed and stood waiting for her passenger.

They drafted Shippo to follow Sesshomaru's trail, but even with his demon sense of smell to lead them it was nearly an hour later when they caught up with Sesshomaru. To Kagome's surprise, she found that he had prepared a small campfire, and that there were already several rabbits roasting over the flames. Her anger had fled with the adrenaline rush from the fight, so she simply took the meat Shippo handed her and sat down on a nearby log to eat the food as Miroku and Sango followed suit.

All the humans were tired, so the meal was quick and silent. Kagome, who had taken the least damage in the day's battles, cleaned up the scraps, intending to remove them from the immediate area. Rin and Jaken were already curled up next to Sesshomaru's two-headed dragon. Miroku and Sango went straight to their bedrolls and collapsed, and it didn't take long for Shippo to join them, nestling into Kagome's sleeping bag.

Despite the exhaustion leadening her limbs, Kagome wasn't quite ready for bed. She sat with her back against a tree and stared up into the clear sky. It was the night of the new moon, she realized for the first time, and felt guilty for not having remembered until now. Tonight would have been Inuyasha's 'time of the month'. A falling star trailed across the sky, and she wished that he would be safe and happy, wherever he was.

"Tell me about the fox kit." Sesshomaru's voice pulled her out of her sad thoughts.

Kagome startled. "Huh?" _How very elegant,_ she snorted to herself.

"The fox kit," there was the merest hint of impatience in Sesshomaru's voice. "How did he come to travel with you?"

Kagome felt a smile creep across her face as she remembered her first encounter with the young demon child. "He stuck Inuyasha to the ground with a spell so he could steal my Shikon shards," she told him, still smiling.

One aristocratic eyebrow lifted. "Indeed?"

Kagome nodded, wondering why he was asking.

"It was just after I broke the jewel. On one of our first trips to find some of the shards. We were after these guys named Hiten and Manten." Her voice turned solemn as she admitted, "Shippo's father had had a shard, and they killed him and his mate for it. Shippo stole my shards so they would come after him. He wanted revenge." It was still hard, knowing that but for her actions Shippo's parents might still be alive and caring for the child she had come to love.

"An understandable desire." Sesshomaru commented.

Kagome shrugged. "We took back the shards and killed them. Shippo's father's pelt was destroyed in the fight. It burned away and formed a foxfire shield when Hiten attacked us. We couldn't just leave him, so he's been with us ever since."

She thought about the young fox, and sorrow filled her. Of all her companions, she worried about the youngest one the most. Even now Miroku and Sango had each other, but Shippo ... 

"I don't know what to do about him. I can't stay in this time once I've fixed the jewel, and he's already lost too many people he loves." She wrapped her arms around herself and looked over at the sleeping child. "Even if I could stay, I'm a human and he's a demon. I'll die long before he's an adult and able to look after himself. I don't know how to teach him anything he needs to know about surviving in this time: I can't hunt or fight, really, and I don't know anything about being a fox demon, or about how his magic works."

Sesshomaru was silent for a while.

"It is the same with Rin," he surprised Kagome by admitting. "She is a human, and a female. It is difficult to know what to do with her. To wonder if perhaps she would not be better off with others of her kind."

Kagome chuckled. "I think you'd have a hard time convincing her of that."

Sesshomaru nodded, and they sat in silence a while longer until Kagome yawned.

"Goodnight." She went to bed, once more leaving the demon lord alone with his thoughts.

***

Notes: To anyone who remembers when I first started posting this, my apologies for the looong delay, and the shortish chapter. Check out chapter 7 of 'Fallen' if you want the gory details (check out the whole story really; I'm rather proud of how it turned out); otherwise, just know the next chapter shouldn't take quite as long, and should be a bit better, since I think I've found the characters again.


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